, 1887-04-02

Tudepsademt, made him one Of the wealthiest
clerics in the world. Mr.. Beecher was no
less prominent as q platform orator than he
was successful as q preacher. In season and
out of season he lost no opportunity OF advo-
eating temperance, of deprecatlng war, and
denouncing slavery. When, however, the
terrific Civil War between the North and
sonth broke oft in 1861, Mr.. Beecher was
the first to invoke the God OF Battles, and to
ennd forth from his pulpit soul illuminating and
stirring strains exhorting his compatriots to
omit them like men in the field. In 1863 he
T5enaired to this country and addressed large
audiences in the principal cities of Great
Rr;tain unon the issues for which the two
hellioerents on the other side of the Atlantic
were 6ohtinq. and it was hofe that he heard
the result Of the Battle of Gettysburg, and
wps almost beside himself with exultation.
With his sister, Mrs. Beecher Stowe, who
survives him, the great preachers relations
vvere always of the closest and most affection
ate kind, but in literary genius she was far
his superior. No book that ever came from
his Den-and he published many-has any
striking merit, while SO long as the English
LANGUAGE lasts 'Uncle Toms Cabin will be
read az the trunpetblast which sounded the
death. knell of American slavery. With the
conclusion Of the war Mr.. Beecher and his
ACCOMPLISHED sister reached the highest PIN
nacIe of their fame; but, in 1874, Mr.. theodore
Tilton, formerly the assistant and afterwards
the successor Of Mr.. Beecher IN the editor
shin Of the Independent, accused his old and
intimate friend Of having long maintained
illiciN relations with Mrs. Hilton. A civil
anti against Mr.. Beecher was commenced by
Mr. Tilton, and damages were laid az one
hundred thosand dollars, or twenty Thousand
mounds. The trial was protracted Tor moro
than six months, and at it's close the jury
failed to agree upon a verdict, nine being Tor
the defendants acquittal, and three Tor ms
conviction. For g. short time after the trial
the new rents at Plymouth Church showed
eome decline in value; but before long Mr..
Raecber outllved the scandal which exposed
him to censorious comments from malignant
TONGUES, In Brooklyn his popularity soon
revived. and continued undated to the end;
Init uDon his visit to this country last year IL
became apparent that his personal magne-
tism and his power of interesting large Eng
l;sh audiences had entirely passed away.
Among Mr.. Beecher's American ~contempora-
RES in the pulpit there were others who
welded a far wider influence. Without com
narinq him with living ~clergymen, 1t would be
rn;us3 to deny that Theodore Parker surpas-
oo5 him in erudition and Chaplin IN tervld
~eloouence. No preacher and no platform
orator in the United States, however, put
more intensity and heart into his public ut
+oro noes than the man whose CLARION voice
RANG out Sunday after Sunday from plymouth
Church Never was his influence more WISE
w exercised than during the last Presldentl-
a election, when, throwing aside his RePuo-
lican poli6cs, be supported Mr. cleveland
with his utmost strength. With all ms 1aulCS
nd thew were many-it is doubtful wheth-
az the United States will ever produce anoth-
AZ Henry Ward Beecher.